


Mutual Muse

by Lady_of_Frost



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Avenger! Reader, F/M, Language, Mentions of Death, Mentions of Violence, mentions of trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:48:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28633524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_of_Frost/pseuds/Lady_of_Frost
Summary: You and Bucky teach each other a new hobby.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	Mutual Muse

**Author's Note:**

> Note: ASL signs: Curled fingers and thumbs together, pushed away from body-sign for continue, and right index finger against chin and then pointed outwards-sign for definitely.

“Are you ready, Sergeant Barnes?” Shuri asks.  
Bucky takes a breath, “Yeah, I’m ready.”  
Bucky slowly sits in the chair in Shuri’s lab and places his left arm on the table for her, and you sit in the rolling stool to his right as he holds out his right hand for you. There’s this vulnerable look in Bucky’s eyes that eases the moment you grasp his hand in both of yours.   
He sighs and relaxes slightly.  
Shuri smiles at him gently as she takes her place beside him next to his metal arm, “If there is any discomfort….” she trails off.  
Bucky nods in understanding.  
It’s a routine checkup.  
Simply a few re-calibrations after something got knocked out of alignment.  
And Bucky trusts Shuri completely, she’s helped him so much.  
But sitting in a chair, even if it’s a different one in a different place, still holds bad memories for him, painful memories.  
The only thing he had said to you about it was that it was how he was “kept” in his Winter Soldier days, kept under control, via excruciating methods and that he needed someone to come with him.   
He didn’t say it, but you get the feeling he was Scared to go alone.  
Usually Sam would have been the one to come with him on these sorts of visits, but he was on a mission right now and unfortunately Bucky’s hand has started twitching uncontrollably. Bucky wanted to wait until he came back, but the rest of the team insisted he have Shuri fix it, and he had only been willing to go if you would come with him.   
Bucky’s grip on your hand tightens slightly as Shuri begins to remove some of the plates carefully setting them aside.   
You rub your thumbs across his knuckles and he glances at you and smiles.  
He purposefully loosens his grip, no doubt afraid he’ll inadvertently crush one of yours. You trace patterns in his palm with your fingertips and his eyes focus on your hands surrounding his for a moment.   
He still hasn’t shared a lot of details about what happened to him, but you figure that if he ever feels the need to tell you, he will when he’s ready.   
Bucky takes another breath and tilts his head back to stare at the ceiling.  
You lift your head to stare at him as he closes his eyes.  
“Still with us, Sergeant Barnes?” Shuri asks pausing in her work as she also notices his change in demeanor.   
“Yeah,” he manages.  
“Take a moment to catch your breath,” Shuri says gently.  
Bucky inhales deeply and exhales slowly, and you squeeze his hand slightly.  
He squeezes your hand back.  
“Would you like to listen to some soothing nature sounds?” Shuri offers picking up her tablet, “Perhaps some birds singing?”  
Bucky smiles and huffs slightly, “Yeah, that sounds nice.”  
Shuri presses play and the soft trills of birds fills the lab.  
She carefully sets the tablet aside and picks up her tools again and waits for Bucky to relax more. You intertwine your fingers with Bucky’s and watch him smile while his eyes are still closed. You lean forward and press a small kiss to his knuckles and his eyes open finally and he tilts his head down to look at you.   
You smile at him and he smiles back and squeezes your hand gently.  
You notice Shuri staring at you with her brows raised as she glances between the two of you. Bucky notices her staring as well and he averts his gaze and you can see his cheeks are flushed.   
“Shall I continue, Sergeant Barnes?” Shuri asks.  
“Yes, please continue, Shuri,” Bucky says.  
Shuri smiles and works on removing the final plate.  
She examines the wiring and makes a disgusted sound.  
“What?! What’s wrong?” Bucky asks tensing up.  
“What’s wrong?! There Is Sand in your arm, that’s what’s wrong! No wonder you’re suffering from involuntary spasms, the sand has gotten into every crevice and groove in your wrist and forearm,” Shuri says as she maneuvers her tools inside Bucky’s metal arm.  
Bucky glances away from her in embarrassment.  
Shuri glares at him, “James Buchanan Barnes, how did you manage to get sand in your arm?! I designed these plates so they would create a waterproof seal.”  
Bucky squeezes your hand, “Well, you see…”  
And you know that if both of his hands weren’t otherwise occupied that he would be scratching the back of his neck right about now with one of them.  
“It was for a good reason,” Bucky says his eyes darting up to you briefly.  
You’re trying to rack your brain to remember when Bucky was on a mission that involved sand, the only instance you can recall was when…  
“Bucky,” you sigh.  
Bucky stares at you.  
“How long have you been having problems with your arm?” you ask raising a brow.  
He bites his lower lip, “About a month…”  
“A Month?!” Shuri exclaims, “Is this why you’ve rescheduled your checkup twice?”  
“What? I didn’t know he rescheduled,” you say, “Bucky…”  
“I know, I know, Doll, I should have come sooner when I realized I was having problems but at first it wasn’t that bad so I just thought I dunno…” Bucky explains with a semi shrug of his right shoulder.  
“You exceeded the weight limit didn’t you?” Shuri asks suddenly crossing her arms.  
Bucky looks down sheepishly.  
“There’s a weight limit?” you ask.  
“Of course,” Shuri says, “But it’s not more than what his natural body can withstand as enhanced as it may be.”  
You remember your last mission with Bucky that ended up on that beach.   
You had been fighting an opponent by yourself and when Sam had shot the pilot of a plane overhead, it had careened down onto the beach digging itself into the sand.  
And had headed straight towards you.  
Bucky had shouted a warning to you which you had attempted to heed by fleeing from the path of the oncoming plane, but the man you were fighting grappled you and knocked you to the ground and refused to let go, intent on taking you down with him. Bucky rushed forward to save you and caught the nose of the jet as it tore a trench across the beach and had managed to slow it just enough for you to struggle free and get clear of the plane. As soon as you were out of danger Bucky did the same, the guy you were fighting however wasn’t so lucky.  
You recall Bucky straining considerably to stop the plane’s momentum.  
“Listen, like I said it was for a good reason,” Bucky says.  
“I’m sure it was, but that’s no excuse for not coming to me sooner,” Shuri scolds standing up.  
She retrieves some goggles, a mask, and some extra tools and then proceeds to vacuum out all the sand particles, gently brushing some loose every now and then with a fine brush. She also replaces any torn wiring and then reattaches the exterior plates.   
“How does that feel?” Shuri asks removing the goggles and mask.  
Bucky turns his hand and then flexes the joints experimentally and sighs in relief, “Much better.”  
Shuri nods, “Please, don’t get sand in your arm again, it’s very tedious to remove it.”  
“I don’t plan on it,” Bucky says standing finally after Shuri pushes her table away.  
You stand with Bucky and he looks at you and you both glance down and you realize that you’re still holding his hand.   
You smile and release him.  
“So other than your sand-ridden arm how have you been feeling, Sergeant Barnes?” Shuri asks.  
“Pretty good,” Bucky says scratching the back of his neck with his right hand, “I’ve just had a few nightmares here and there, nothing unusual though.”  
You stare at the back of his head, he hadn’t shared this information with you.  
But you suppose it’s still hard for him to open up to you about certain things. Probably another reason he wanted to wait for Sam to come with him.  
“Have you re-considered art therapy?” Shuri asks tidying up her workspace.  
Bucky shrugs his shoulders, “I was never very good at that stuff.”  
“It’s not about being good, it’s about having fun or expressing your feelings,” you say.  
Shuri turns to you with a smile, “Sounds like you’re familiar with art.”  
“Well, yeah,” you say shyly.  
“She’s always doodling away even in the gym when I’m training and she’s supposed to be,” Bucky says nudging your shoulder with his own slightly.  
Your eyes widen, “Oh…yeah,” you laugh nervously, “I guess I am.”  
You only sketch in the gym because you’re drawing Bucky sparring, a fact he hasn’t figured out yet.   
What can you say?   
You like to watch him move, his movements are swift and fluid.  
And…the occasional instances of him solo boxing shirtless doesn’t help either.  
“Perhaps she could help you, if you’re willing to try that is,” Shuri suggests glancing between you both.  
Bucky shrugs again, “I don’t know…writing in my journal is calming enough and when I don’t got any words, I just knit instead.”  
“Wait, you know how to knit?!” you ask surprised.  
“Yeah, my Ma taught me, why?” Bucky asks turning to you.  
“I have been trying to figure out how to knit for months,” you explain.  
“Why months?” Bucky asks.  
“I keep getting frustrated and putting it down again,” you say.  
“Perhaps, you could both teach each other?” Shuri suggests.  
You both look at her.  
“Since you both possess a skill the other does not,” Shuri adds.  
“Would you be willing to teach me how to knit?” you ask Bucky hopeful.  
Bucky smiles at you, “I can’t say no to you, Doll.”  
You smile wide and hug him.  
And as his arms wrap around you, “As long as you wouldn’t mind showing me how to draw?”  
“Are you kidding?! I’d love to be able to share one of my hobbies with you, Bucky!” you exclaim.  
Bucky laughs and presses a kiss to your forehead.

As you’re both getting ready to leave you pull Shuri aside, “Would it be alright if you sent me some scans of Bucky’s arm?”  
“Like a 3d imaging version of it?” Shuri asks.  
“Yeah, that’d be perfect,” you say.  
“Sorry, I can’t. Patient confidentiality and all that, I could if Bucky gave you permission to see them,” Shuri explains.   
“No, that’s alright,” you say stealing a glance over at Bucky across the lab where he’s putting on his jacket.  
“Why do you need them anyways?” Shuri asks curiously.  
You turn back to her, “I just…wanted to have some reference to draw his arm properly. He hasn’t seen the sketches I made of him yet, but I keep fucking up his metal arm, because I forgot how many plates he has and where, when I’m drawing him. I don’t want him to think it’s because I don’t like it or something.”  
“You draw him? That’s sweet,” Shuri says and steals a glance at Bucky, “You know he would probably let you take photos of his arm if you asked, he would probably give you the moon if you asked.”  
“What?” you ask your voice rising in pitch, “That’s ridiculous.”  
“I see the way you look at each other, and you’ll never know unless you ask,” Shuri says casually walking away.  
“Ready to go, Doll?” Bucky asks stepping towards you.  
“Yeah, of course,” you say.

*******

A few days later you and Bucky make a trip to an arts and crafts store.  
“Wow, there’s so many choices,” Bucky says staring at all the pencils and paper, “I don’t even know what half of this means,” he laughs nervously.  
You take his right hand in your left, “I could explain anything you’re confused about?” you offer gently.  
He looks down at you and smiles.  
Bucky turns his attention back to the drawing supplies in front of him.  
“Uhh…” he murmurs and then reaches forward and grabs a tin of pencils, “Why are these pencils labeled with letters and numbers? They all look the same.”  
You laugh softly, “These are all of different hardness levels, the bigger the number in the B range the softer and darker the graphite is. And the bigger the number in the H range the harder and lighter the graphite is,” you explain.  
“Huh, neat,” Bucky says.  
“The darker tones are good for when you’re doing portraiture and there’s a shadow or dark hair, and the lighter tones are good for places where light is reflected or the whites around someone’s iris,” you continue.  
Bucky puffs out his bottom lip and nods, “This a good brand?”  
“Yeah,” you say and Bucky places it in the cart you brought with you both.  
“Now what’s this gray thing? Is this supposed to be an eraser?” Bucky asks.  
“Oh yeah, I need a new one of those actually,” you say grabbing one from the shelf and throwing it in the cart.  
Bucky grabs one in his left hand and examines it.  
“Want me to explain how to use it?” you ask.  
“Doll, I may not know a lot about art but I think I can figure out how to use an eraser,” Bucky says.  
You stare at him for a moment.   
Bucky glances down, “That came out meaner than I expected.”  
“I’m not trying to condescend you, Bucky, the kneaded eraser is a little different in that it’s more of a gum textured eraser,” you explain.  
“Gum?” Bucky asks confused staring at it.  
And then his eyes drift to you in his peripheral and then he tilts his head.  
“It’s like if you had a piece of clay as an eraser, you can mold it to erase a tiny part, lightly press on something to make it lighter if you added too much of something, and tear off tiny pieces of it. And when it starts picking up a lot of your pencil you just roll it around in your hand to find a clean spot,” you explain.  
Bucky turns the package over and smiles at it and tosses it into the cart, “That’s so weird. Thanks, Doll, for being so helpful.”  
“Of course, what are friends for?” you ask.  
Bucky then grabs a couple of pencil sharpeners and some sketchbooks in a couple of different sizes and he marvels at the really big ones. And then he stops and stares at something.   
He lets go of your hand to grab a large set of pastel pencils, “What are these?”  
“Those are pastels, kind of like a chalk pencil, but pastels also come in sticks like charcoal. Just be careful not to drop them, they will break,” you explain.  
Bucky looks at the pencils and then you watch as his eyes drift to his left arm and he starts to put it back and pauses.  
“The pencils are less likely to break than their stick counterparts,” you offer.  
A small smile appears on Bucky’s face and then he looks at the price tag, “Jesus, that’s a lot.”  
“Yeah, materials can get pretty pricey,” you say.  
Bucky glances over at you and smiles suddenly and then picks out a few smaller sets and stacks the pastels together.  
“That’s a lot, got a plan for a piece?” you ask.  
Bucky smiles wide and sets everything in the cart as you lean on it.  
“Let’s just say I found my muse,” Bucky says with a wink to you.  
You giggle and shake your head.  
“I think I’m all set,” Bucky says resting his hands on his hips.  
“Good, now if you don’t mind I’d like to look at the yarn before we go,” you say.  
“Of course, Doll, you don’t have to ask,” Bucky says.  
You start to push the cart forwards but Bucky quietly steps beside you and offers to push.   
You let him and then he winks at you, “I’ll race you.”  
“You’re on,” you agree.  
Bucky takes off running, pushing the cart and you run after him.   
He’s obviously not running as fast as he can, but neither are you. The two of you still get a few looks from the employees who are hoping that you won’t break anything. Bucky gets to the yarn aisle first with you right on his heels.  
“I win,” Bucky says triumphantly, “Now you owe me five dollars.”  
“What?! Oh no you don’t! We didn’t bet any money Mr.,” you say pointing a finger at him.  
Bucky laughs, “Alright, next time we race and I win, you’ll owe me five dollars.”  
“And when I win, you’ll owe me five dollars,” you tease.  
Bucky chuckles as you both lock eyes for a moment.   
And then you break eye contact and stare at the yarn, and not the gorgeous super soldier.  
“See anything that catches your eye?” Bucky asks.  
You turn back to look at him and he’s leaning on the cart, staring at you.  
Your heart rate picks up and you swallow and you quickly turn your attention back to the yarn, “Uh yeah,” you mutter picking out some pretty blue yarns and setting them in the cart.   
You then pick out some red yarn, black yarn, and a pink yarn, and…   
You hum as you pick up a darker grey yarn with gold thread accenting it and glance up at Bucky, who is busy picking out some of his own yarn now.   
You smile and set all of it in the cart.  
“Might as well stock up myself,” Bucky says sheepishly, “I’ve been meaning to try my hand at making myself a sweater,” he says adding multiple bundles of the same color yarn to the cart.  
“Let me know how it turns out,” you say.  
You pick up a few more knitting needles and a template for socks in your size as well as some patterns. The two of you then head to the checkout counter together, having accumulated an entire cart full of supplies.   
You and Bucky separate out your things and Bucky lets you go first.  
But when the cashier finishes scanning your items, she attempts to scan one of Bucky’s as begins to set things on the counter.  
“Oh, I’m sorry our stuff is separate,” you say.  
The cashier sets the item down, “I’m sorry, I thought since you were together that everything would be together,” she says and quickly rings up your items.  
“It’s fine,” you say and pay for your things.  
You grab your bags and make room for Bucky to set his things down.  
He glances over at you and also doesn’t correct the cashier in her assumption that you both are a couple. Bucky finishes paying for his art supplies and then loops all of his bags through his left hand. You return the cart and as you head out the door and he wraps his right arm around your waist and you let out a giggle.  
“You ready to learn how to knit, Doll?” Bucky asks.  
“Absolutely,” you say.

The two of you spend the next week before you both have to go on separate month long missions, together learning the other’s hobby. You teach Bucky everything you know about art and he shows you what he knows about knitting. Bucky is incredibly patient with you and with his help you get the hang of it pretty quickly.   
You and the rest of the team all have a movie night together on Bucky, Sam, and Clint’s last night at the compound before they head out early in the morning.   
And after the movie you get dressed for bed and attempt to lie down and go to sleep, but you end up wide-awake staring at the ceiling.   
Sighing, you roll out of bed and open your door and peek out into the hall.  
You pull your sweater closer around you and close your bedroom door behind you and head down the hall to Bucky’s room.   
You knock on his door softly.  
You glance around you for a moment and then knock again.  
There’s a shift of a mattress and then silence.  
You’re about to knock again, when the door opens, revealing a shirtless and disheveled Bucky.  
“Doll?” he questions rubbing his eye with his right palm, “What’s wrong? You ok?”  
“Oh nothing’s wrong, I’m fine,” you assure him quietly, “I just…”  
You pause and shift awkwardly on your feet.  
He blinks as he stares at you and then a smile forms on his face, “You want to sleep next to me, don’t you?”  
“Yeah,” you say in a small voice, glancing up at him.  
He smirks and jerks his head towards his bed as he steps aside.  
You quickly step into his room and he shuts the door behind you, and then you feel a hand at your back and turn around and Bucky wraps you in his arms.   
You squeeze him tightly and sigh.  
You don’t need to say it.  
He’s going to miss you too, while you’re on your own missions.  
He slowly lets go and you glance up at him briefly before you walk over to his bed.   
That you’re a little slow to find in the darkness of his room.  
You hear a huff from behind you and Bucky places a hand on your lower back and grabs your left hand in his and leads you to the mattress and sets your hand on it.  
You smile to yourself and climb into his bed and pull back the covers.   
You hear a rustling of clothes, which you figure is Bucky removing his sweatpants he had answered the door in.   
And then the bed dips down and his right hand meets your waist.  
You settle down onto your side and the two of you face one another.  
Your eyes adjust after a moment and you’re able to focus more on his face.  
His right hand slowly traces a pattern on your nightgown-clothed hip and you slowly lift your left hand to stroke his arm.  
You can tell his eyes are open as he stares at you.  
You shift closer to him and nudge his leg with your knee, Bucky lifts his leg and you wrap both of yours around his right leg. His arm wraps around you and pulls you closer to his body. You slip your hand underneath his arm and rest your palm against his back and you feel his muscles relax under your touch.   
His fingers stroke your hip again, and both of your breaths fan the other’s face.  
This close to Bucky you realize how warm he is.  
“It’s going to be so cold on my mission, at least you get to go somewhere warm,” you say softly.  
Bucky chuckles, “You mean hot, it’s going to be so hot, I’m going to be drenched in my own sweat the entire month.”  
The image of a sweat covered Bucky wiping his brow in that olive green tank top of his with his dog tags hanging loose comes to mind.  
“The cold still sucks, I hate the cold,” you say.  
Bucky’s hand slips down to your back and he rubs your back absentmindedly.  
And even in the dark you can tell there’s a far off look in his face.  
“You don’t have to tell me twice, I spent decades trapped in it,” Bucky mutters.  
You fall silent as Bucky continues to stroke your back.  
“I’m sorry,” you manage quietly after a moment.  
His head shifts to stare at you, “It’s okay…”  
There’s silence between the two of you again.  
After another moment, you shift again and tighten your grip around Bucky involuntarily before loosening it again. His fingers stop caressing you for a moment and he leans forwards and presses his lips to your forehead.   
You close your eyes as he does and then he slowly withdraws.  
“You know there was one time…in Siberia,” he begins.  
You thumb his back, encouraging him to continue.  
“I was about to go back into cryo, they had me all dressed and ready to go, but you see one of the reasons they were trying to shove me back in was,” Bucky says as he takes a breath, “Because my memories were coming back. And it wasn’t a lot but…it was enough to make me doubt…” he says licking his lips, “And I just felt this overwhelming need to run, to get as far away as possible. And it’s not exactly like I liked being frozen anyway. So I…fought against the guards trying to force me in, they fought back of course, but I wasn’t trying to hurt ‘em even though I should have,” Bucky grimaces and clenches his jaw.  
You slip your hand out from under his arm and rest it on his jaw and lightly thumb his cheek. His jaw muscles relax and his eyes fixate on yours for a moment before moving downwards.  
“I just wanted out, so I opened the hatch at the top of the room and climbed my way up and when they started shooting at me I was confused but kept running,” Bucky says his head shaking slightly, “I ran out across the snow, barefoot of course, because they don’t have me shoes wear shoes in cryofreeze. But there was a massive snowstorm that day and I couldn’t see my own hand in front of my face, but I kept running and running and at some point I collapsed in the night. My body was completely numb and my skin blistered red from the wind…and that’s where they found me the next afternoon once the storm had cleared,” Bucky sighs.  
You swallow and caress his cheek as his eyes close.  
“They dragged me back to the base and the leader Karpov upon seeing me said,” Bucky continues and says something in a language you don’t understand, “Do you know what that means?” he asks you.  
You shake your head subtly.  
“Welcome home, Soldier,” Bucky states, “And then they stuffed me back into cryo.”  
You stare at him in horrified silence.  
Bucky draws in a ragged breath and you inch closer to him and rub thumb across his cheek again, he leans into your touch slightly.  
“Bucky…” you begin, “You know that you didn’t deserve any of what they did to you, right?”  
His eyes lock unto yours, “I know, Doll.”  
Silence falls between the two of you again.  
“You want to know the worst part?” he whispers.  
You stroke his cheek, the soft hairs of his beard prickling your fingertips.  
“The next time they woke me up, after they handed me my weapons and gear, I followed them all the way out of the building and when I stepped outside….there was a brief moment where I froze,” Bucky continues his fingertips trailing up your spine leaving a shiver in their wake, “And I stared out at the wide, open terrain I had sprinted across before and…I could almost remember. It was like something was tugging at me and then they called me Soldier and I turned away and forgot all about it.”  
“Until now, you remember now, and now you know why you felt the way you did,” you interject.  
“Yeah,” Bucky mutters.  
His eyes start to close and you refuse to let the darkness shroud him again.  
“You deserve to live a long, happy life, Bucky,” you say.  
His eyes open and even in the dark you can tell his eyes are wide.  
“I’m serious, Bucky, you deserve to be happy,” you whisper caressing his face.  
He stares at you silently as his hand smoothes around your body and finds your cheek. He opens his mouth to say something and only manages to exhale.  
“You living a long, happy life, surrounded by the people who care about you would be the biggest spit in the face to everyone who ever abused you,” you continue.  
Bucky leans forwards and presses a kiss to your cheek and then buries his face in the crook of your neck.   
You wrap your left arm around him and he wraps his right around your body, then you hear him exhale and feel his body relax against yours.  
You shut your eyes and hold him close hoping that what you said was enough.  
He shifts and his beard scratches against the sensitive skin of your neck and you bite your lip as a sound escapes you.   
Bucky notices and pulls back slightly, “You okay?”  
“Yeah,” you whisper.  
He buries his face against you again and rubs you with his chin and you can’t stifle your giggle this time.  
“What? What’s so funny?” he asks.  
“I’m sorry,” you breathe, “Your beard tickles.”  
“Oh yeah?” he asks amusement clear in his voice.  
He then proceeds to start rubbing his chin along your exposed neck and you burst into a fit of giggles.  
“Bucky!” you cry out laughing, trying to roll away.  
He starts to laugh too as he catches you and you squirm underneath him.  
“Please…stop,” you pant.  
Bucky stops and you catch your breath.  
Bucky chuckles again, now staring down at you from where he’s poised above you, his weight resting on his arms.   
You smile up at him.  
He smiles wide, “Come ‘ere,” he says and hooks his arm under you and rolls with you again so that you’re now resting on top of his chest.  
You giggle and snuggle against his bare chest.  
He pulls the covers around you both and you throw your leg over his as he wraps both of his arms around you now. His metal one rests on your back in a way that allows for most of the weight to still rest on the mattress, his metal fingers tracing along your hips. You listen to the soft clicking and Bucky’s steady heartbeat underneath your ear and you want it to be like this all the time.   
You really wish that you had been assigned on the same mission together.

*******

Bucky wakes to his alarm clock going off and reaches over and turns it off.  
He quickly glances back down at the woman asleep on his chest and relaxes when he sees she wasn’t stirred.  
Five more minutes wouldn’t hurt.  
He stares down at her and runs his hands down her back.  
She stirs slightly and then hums against him and he knows she’s awake.  
“Sleep well?” Bucky asks.  
“Yeah,” she mumbles sleepily, “You’re quite comfy.”  
Bucky laughs softly, “So I’m a pillow now?”  
“Correction, you’re My pillow,” she says.  
He laughs again and she stretches against him.  
Then she glances over at his alarm clock and starts to sit up, “When do you have to leave?”  
Bucky bites his bottom lip and tries to stifle a laugh.  
“What? Is there something on my face?” she asks.  
“Sort of,” Bucky says trying really hard not to laugh.  
She immediately touches her hand to her cheek, “What is it?”  
Bucky grabs his phone and opens the camera.  
She takes the phone from him and looks at herself and her shoulders slump.  
“Didn’t know we had the same last name, Doll,” Bucky laughs.  
She glances down at his dog tags that she had fallen asleep on and then starts to rub her right cheek, where his last name Barnes followed by his id number are imprinted onto her skin.   
Bucky takes his phone back from her.  
“Don’t you dare take a picture, Barnes!” she exclaims.  
“I won’t, I won’t,” he promises through his laughter, “But you gotta admit it’s pretty funny.”  
She smiles slightly, “It’s hilarious actually.”  
Bucky sits up and wraps his arms around her and kisses her bare shoulder where her cardigan slipped down.  
She glances away shyly.  
“Hey, let me see?” Bucky asks.  
She turns her face back to him and he rubs her cheek with his thumb, “I’m sure it will go away soon.”  
“I’m sure it will too,” she says, “It’s just a matter of whether or not the girls see it first.”  
There’s a loud knock on Bucky’s door, “BARNES! Wake up old man, we gotta get going soon!” Sam shouts.  
“I AM UP! I’ll be down soon!” Bucky shouts back.  
Bucky turns his attention back to the woman in his arms as she rests her hands on his arms, “Hey, we’ll see each other again before you know it,” Bucky reassures her.  
“I know,” she says softly with a hint of sadness in her voice.  
She gets up out of the bed and stands near the window where the sunlight is filtering through the curtains. Bucky stands and pulls on a pair of jeans he had set out the night before. And he stares at her and notices how beautiful she looks in the morning light. He grabs his phone and opens the camera again.   
She catches him holding it up and hides her face in her hands, “Barnes, what did I just say about taking my picture?”  
He chuckles, “Relax, Doll, I won’t take a photo of the right side of your face only the left, you just look so beautiful this morning,” he lets slip out.  
She uncovers her face, “Really?”  
“Would I lie to you?” Bucky asks.  
“No,” she says smiling.  
She turns so that her right cheek where the dog tag imprint is won’t show and she smiles for him.  
He takes her photo and then stares at it, it’s perfect.  
He shows it to her and she smiles, “Okay, that one’s alright.”  
Bucky stuffs his phone into his pocket and then moves to grab his shirt.  
“Um,” she mutters.  
“Yeah?” Bucky asks pausing to stare at her.  
“This is going to sound weird and if you’re not okay with it that’s fine,” she says.  
Bucky furrows his brows and holds his shirt in his hands, “Doll, what is it?”  
“Can I…take a few photos of your arm? The metal one, I mean,” she says quietly.  
He drops his shirt onto his bed and then raises his left hand and stares at it, “My arm?”  
She’s right that did sound weird.  
“It’s just for drawing reference, if you’re not comfortable with that then that’s okay,” she adds quickly.  
“Sure,” he says smiling.  
“…Really?” she asks a little surprised, “I uh…don’t have my phone with me, huh.”  
Bucky removes his phone from his back pocket and hands it to her, “Here.”  
She smiles and takes it from him.  
She takes four photos in total: a front and back of his arm, and then a front and back of just his hand. She hands the phone back to him and he sends her the photos, careful to hide his name for her in his contacts, Doll with a heart and flower emoji.   
“I’m listed as Doll in your contacts?” she asks.  
Crap.  
“What else would I call you, Sweetheart?” Bucky asks his face getting warm, he attempts to play it off more by wrapping an arm around her and pulling her to his chest.  
She looks up at him and raises a brow, seemingly not falling for his antics.  
He smiles wide at her, and then she laughs and glances down and plays with the chain of his dog tags. He notices her eyes wander up to his shoulder joint, but she quickly glances down again as he turns his head to stare at his metal arm.  
“What is it, Babydoll?” he asks gently tilting her chin up with his metal fingers.  
“Why is your shoulder two different types of metal?” she asks, “The rest of your arm isn’t.”  
Bucky sighs heavily.  
“I’m sorry, it was wrong of me to ask,” she mutters softly.  
“Doll, you’re fine, I don’t mind,” he assures her.  
He then releases her and stepping back, runs the fingers of his right hand along the outside of his shoulder, the black Vibranium, and then over to where the metal meets flesh, the silver Titanium of his old arm.  
“This is from my old arm, the one Hydra made me, they encased what is left of my shoulder joint and connected wires to nerve endings. Shuri replaced everything else,” he explains running his fingers back down his arm over the Vibranium, “After I lost it a second time.”  
“Why didn’t she replace this part?” she asks trailing her fingers lightly over the silver metal as though she was afraid somehow she might hurt him.  
“Because….I’m a super soldier. I heal a lot faster than an average man, anesthetic doesn’t work on me like it should,” Bucky continues, “And…Hydra didn’t care to use any of it the first time.”  
She looks up at him in horror.  
“These scars,” he says absentmindedly stroking them with his fingertips like he has a thousand times before, “Are from them welding searing, hot metal to my flesh.”  
She inhales sharply and Bucky focuses on her face and the tears in her eyes as she stares at his scars.   
Her fingers then come to rest over his, “Oh my God, Bucky, that’s horrible,” she whispers.  
“Yeah,” he says, “So instead of untangling that mess and causing more trauma, Shuri just built on top of it.”  
She shakes her head slightly and trails her fingers along the edge of the metal and then onto the skin. She then leans forwards a little and presses her lips to his skin before resting her forehead against his chest.   
Bucky is taken aback by her reaction and holds her in his arms again.   
They stand like that for a long while and Bucky brushes some of the tears from his own eyes.  
“I should get dressed or Sam and Clint are gonna be pissed,” Bucky says finally.  
She pulls back and nods before looking up at him, “Be safe.”  
He smiles, “I will, Babydoll,” he says pressing a kiss to her forehead.  
He cups her face and her hands cover his.  
“Hey, if you wouldn’t mind could you hold onto something for me?” Bucky asks.  
She meets his gaze, “Yeah, sure.”  
“It’s very important to me and you’re the only one I trust to hold onto it,” he says lifting his dog tags over his head, he then sets them over head.  
She stares down at them in surprise.  
He then takes the smaller chain and unclips it from the main one, “I’ll hold onto this one and in a month when we see each other again, they’ll be reunited,” he says.  
She nods, “I promise, Bucky, I won’t ever take them off.”  
He smiles and takes his shirt off the bed and slips it on.  
“Where are you keeping the other one?” she asks.  
He sits down on the edge of his bed as he pulls on his boots, “I’m gonna tuck it into my boot,” Bucky says as he does exactly that.  
She smiles and starts to head for the door, “Well, goodbye, Bucky.”  
“Hold on, Doll,” he says stepping over to his dresser and quickly pulls out his red Henley and hands it to her, “What kind of man would I be if I let a lady freeze without offering her my clothes?”  
She smiles so wide her eyes crinkle, and then she takes it from him.  
“Be careful, Doll,” he says seriously knowing he won’t be there to help if she needs him.  
She steps towards him and they hug one last time.

*******

Bucky stares at his phone again and then continues drawing.  
It’s been two weeks since he last saw her.  
And two weeks of swimming in his own sweat in this humidity.  
The mission has kept him pretty busy, it’s kept all of them busy, but he’s thought about her often. And every chance he gets he practices drawing, he can’t wait to show her how much he’s improved already.  
“Still drawing your girl?” Clint asks stepping out of the bathroom having just finished showering.  
Bucky exhales and continues etching her face onto the paper in front of him.  
“You know he is,” Sam says voice teasing, “He must have drawn her a dozen times already.”  
Bucky growls, “I told you, I’m just trying to get her face right, her eyes in particular are hard to nail down.”  
“Yeah I imagine that sparkle in her eyes whenever she looks at you is hard to capture with a pencil,” Clint teases.  
Bucky bites back a smile, putting the finishing touches on his drawing.  
“Look at how red he’s turning, his ears are even turning pink,” Sam says to Clint and pointing at Bucky.  
Bucky pulls his hair back down around his ears, “Am not.”  
“Are too,” Sam says.  
Bucky smiles satisfied with his work and then closes his sketchbook and stows his supplies back in his bag.  
“Have you asked her out yet? Or are you just going to continue to admire her from afar?” Clint asks sitting down on the bed opposite Bucky’s.  
Bucky closes out his photo of her from that morning and plugs his phone in, and then letting out a sigh, Bucky leans back against his pillow, “I don’t know.”  
“Admire her from afar is what it sounds like,” Sam says packing some of his things back into his bag.  
Bucky folds his hands behind his head, lost in thought as he stares up at the ceiling.  
Clint’s laughter pulls him back to reality.  
“Do you think she likes me?” Bucky asks quietly.  
Both men turn to him.  
“Obviously she likes you,” Sam says.  
“I know we’re friends, but do you think she wants me like that?” Bucky asks.  
“I mean it certainly looks that way, but the only way to know for sure is to ask her,” Sam says.  
Bucky turns and leans on his elbow and considers that for a moment.  
“You know the two of you act like I haven’t tried to make a move already,” Bucky comments.  
“Oh?” Sam questions.  
“This is news to me,” Clint says perking up.  
“I’ve tried to kiss her a couple times,” Bucky admits.  
“And she shot you down?” Clint asks confused.  
“Well…I….maybe?” Bucky questions rubbing the back of his neck, “The first time we were interrupted and the second…she went in for a hug.”  
“Ooh not a good sign,” Sam says, “Well, maybe I was wrong it seldom happens, but…”  
“Hold on, hold on,” Clint interrupts, “Not so fast.”  
Bucky sits up on his bed and stares at Clint.  
“How did you initiate the kiss? I need a play by play,” Clint says.  
Bucky sighs and shakes his head and glances back up at Clint.  
Clint curls his fingers and connects his thumbs together and pushes his hands out away from his body and gives him an insistent look.  
“Alright, alright,” Bucky says conceding and then exhaling, “I closed the door to her room, and leaned about halfway,” he explains, “I always make sure the lady actually wants the kiss. So I gave her the opportunity to close the distance.”  
“And she hugged you instead?” Clint asks.  
Bucky nods.  
Clint nods too, “And yet…she still slept in your room the night before we left And you gave her your dog tags?”  
Bucky’s eyes widen, “No, I didn’t.”  
“Is that where your dog tags went?” Sam asks amusement in his voice.  
Bucky reaches over the bed and picks up one of his boots, “No, I just put it in my boot instead.”  
The single dog tag peeks out a little from said boot.  
“That’s only one, you’re supposed to have two,” Sam says holding up two fingers.  
Bucky sighs and puts his boot back down, making sure to carefully tuck the dog tag back in.  
“Was she really in his room?” Sam asks Clint.  
Bucky glances back up in time to see Clint hold his right index finger against his chin and then point it out towards Sam.  
Bucky furrows his brows at Clint who laughs realizing he’s been caught.  
“Saw her creeping out that morning,” Clint continues ignoring Bucky’s warning looks.  
“We didn’t do anything,” Bucky says gruffly.  
“I believe you, but I also think she still likes you. Which is my entire point, so don’t give up just yet, because the thing is neither of you boys knew her in her SHIELD days but me and Nat did. She’s just a little slow to trust these days and easy to spook, just give her some time,” Clint explains.  
“Huh, I can relate to that,” Bucky says.  
“Which is why I think the two of you are perfect for each other, and I want to be invited to the wedding,” Clint continues as he lies back against his pillow and pulls the covers over himself.  
Bucky chuckles and lies down as well and turns off his lamp.  
“I’d better be invited to the wedding too,” Sam says sitting on his own bed and turning off his lamp.  
Bucky laughs in the dark, “Of course, Sam.”  
Clint clears his throat.  
“And you too, Clint,” Bucky says.

*******

You’re focused on finishing another row when Wanda and Natasha walk through the door. You shudder at the cold air they let in and pull your blankets around you tighter.   
Only one more week of this.  
“Whattya got there?” Natasha asks pulling off her black, knitted beanie.  
You look down and realize that the sudden influx of cold air distracted you from hiding your knitting.  
“Nothing,” you lie attempting to retroactively hide it by stuffing it under your blanket.  
“It’s for Bucky,” Wanda whispers as she passes Natasha to take off her coat.  
“Ohh,” Natasha says.  
“Wanda!” you exclaim.  
“What?!” she says defensively, “You’re thoughts are very loud sometimes, especially when you’re thinking about Bucky, and you’ve been thinking about him almost nonstop this whole mission.”  
“I have not,” you say and fiddle with your knitting under the blanket.  
“Have to. You punch a guy and think Bucky would have thought was cool, I wish he was here,” Wanda says with a faux dreamy voice, “So what are you making him?” she asks plopping down onto the bed next to you.  
“I thought you could read my mind?” you ask in annoyance.  
“I’m just hearing surface thoughts, I’m not prying too deep into your subconscious, so tell me,” Wanda pleads pouting out her bottom lip and grabbing your shoulder and mildly shaking you.  
You sigh and pull back out your knitting, “I’m making him socks as a thank you present for teaching me how to knit.”  
“Aw, how sweet,” Wanda says.  
“Socks?” Natasha laughs sitting on her own bed, “That’s such an old man gift.”  
“Well, he is an old man, besides I don’t hear either of you complaining about the hats I made you during this trip,” you say.  
Wanda purses her lips and adjusts her red, knitted beanie and Natasha looks down at her black one.  
“Touché,” Natasha says.  
You adjust the sock on the wire coat hanger you had bent into a roughly sock shape and start a new row, and you can feel Natasha’s eyes on you as you knit.  
“I’m sure your boyfriend will appreciate the socks,” Natasha says.  
You sigh, “He’s not my boyfriend, Natasha, not yet at least.”  
“Oh, not yet?” Natasha asks, “Are you sure about that? Because wearing your boyfriend’s clothes is pretty close to the top of the list for girlfriend behaviors.”  
You stop for a moment and sigh again before continuing to knit.  
“Have you kissed him yet?” Wanda asks.  
You glance over at Wanda next to you, “No, and I’m not going to play twenty questions with you while you try to read my thoughts.”  
You’ve been wearing Bucky’s Henley to bed almost every night since it provides an extra layer over your pajamas to help keep you warm. You’ve also worn Bucky’s dog tags every day and only taken them off to shower. Fortunately, neither one of your teammates have seen them yet. You remember Wanda next to you and quickly steer your thoughts away from that and towards a memory of Bucky boxing shirtless in the gym. You see Wanda shift out of the corner of your eye and focus more on the memory of him taking a water break and the water droplets trailing down his neck.  
Wanda clears her throat awkwardly and gets off the bed and starts rummaging through her bag.  
“Listen, if Bucky asks me out on an actual date, I won’t say no, but he hasn’t asked me yet so…” you trail off with a shrug.  
“Wait, are you seriously going to wait for Him to ask You out?” Natasha asks in disbelief.  
“Yeah, I mean he is a man from the forties, I thought he might do things differently,” you say.  
“Yes, but you’re a modern woman, you can ask him out first,” Natasha says.  
“But then I’d have to pay for dinner,” you joke.  
All three of you burst into laughter.  
Just one more week.  
One more week and you get to go home and see Bucky again.

*******

It’s late at night when he finally steps off the quinjet with his bag thrown over his shoulder. Bucky tiredly heads up to his room and sheds his clothing before taking a long, uninterrupted shower. He takes extra care washing away all the dirt and grime and it feels so nice being in his own shower again.   
He’s thought of her every day he’s been away and every shower that was longer than ten minutes he’s thought about her…intimately. And Bucky’s thinking about her right now, although lust doesn’t cloud his mind as much as longing does, and there’s no present need to give in to his physical urges.  
He knows she got back two days before he did, and he doesn’t want to wait until tomorrow morning to say hello to her. So he turns off the water and dries himself off, even towel-drying his hair as best he can, and then he slips on some clean boxers and sweatpants from his dresser. Remembering to grab his dog tag, Bucky quietly leaves his room and then swiftly heads down the long hallway towards her room.   
He knocks softly a couple times.  
Bucky can hear a mattress creak and then her soft footsteps with his enhanced hearing as she makes her way to her bedroom door. She opens it and blinks in surprise at him standing there.  
“Bucky? When did you get back?” she asks sleepily.  
He smiles at her, “About thirty minutes ago, Doll, mind if I come in?”  
His eyes trail down her form, she’s wearing his red Henley to sleep in, and he can see his dog tag still hanging around her neck as it disappears under his shirt…Bucky swallows.  
She steps aside and waves him in, “Course,” she mumbles.  
Bucky steps into her room and closes the door and almost immediately she wraps her arms around him for a hug. He chuckles softly and wraps his own arms around her and squeezes her against his chest.  
“Missed you,” he barely catches her mumble.  
“I missed you too, Babydoll,” Bucky whispers.  
She pulls back and notices his dog tag in his hand.  
“Oh here,” she says removing his dog tag from around her neck.  
He watches it lift up out from under his shirt and realizes it had to have rested between her breasts, seeing as the chain’s much longer on her. He takes it from her and clips the one he kept back onto the main chain and places it around his neck. The one she was wearing is still very warm and he tries not to let his mind linger too long on the fact that it was resting against her bare skin and what that might feel like.  
“Do you mind if I?” Bucky asks uncertain.  
She smiles wide and takes his hand and all but pulls him towards her bed.  
She climbs back under the covers while he removes his sweatpants first. He lies down on the empty side of the bed and she crawls towards him and wraps her arms around his neck and buries her face in the crook of his neck.  
“I missed you,” she says sadly.  
He wraps an arm around her and holds her to his chest, “I know, Babydoll, but I’m here now, yeah?”  
“Yeah,” she says smiling against his skin.  
They hold one another for a long moment before she pulls back and begins to shift to her left side. Bucky wraps an arm around her middle as he curls his body around hers and spoons her. They both shift a little more before comfortably relaxing in the other’s presence. Bucky inhales her scent and buries his face in her neck and presses a kiss to her skin before he can stop himself.   
He tenses for a moment, but she merely sighs in response.  
“Goodnight, Sweetheart,” Bucky mutters.  
“Goodnight, Baby,” she mutters back.  
And Bucky’s heart stops, unsure if he heard her correctly.  
Surely, she said Bucky instead?  
His super soldier hearing doesn’t usually steer him wrong, why would it now?   
He settles against her and listens to her quiet breathing and steady heartbeat. A heartbeat that he has heard many times speed up when he’s near her or flirts with her. Bucky smiles to himself and closes his eyes, she definitely said “Baby.”

*******

You wake up feeling incredibly relaxed, and warm, and…swiftly realize that there’s something solid at your back. And then you remember Bucky came to your room last night and smile wide. You snuggle closer to him and he stirs slightly, scratching his stubble against your neck, and you can’t help but let out a giggle. Bucky stirs more now and hums as he comes to, stroking his fingers over your stomach.  
“Morning, Honey,” Bucky mumbles in an incredibly sexy morning voice.  
You feel your heart beat faster and you smile.  
“Morning, Bucky,” you sigh, “Did you sleep well?”  
He huffs a little, his hot breath tickling your ear, “Yeah, best sleep I’ve gotten all month. Between the humidity and Sam’s snoring it was hard to get a wink in.”  
You chuckle, “Sam snores?”  
“Oh like a chainsaw,” Bucky confirms, “Clint laughed at me the first night right before he took his hearing aids out.”  
You start laughing.  
“Hey, you think that’s funny?” Bucky demands playfully, “I’ve got super hearing, you have no idea how hard that is for me.”  
You continue to laugh, trying to cover your mouth.  
Bucky’s arm loosens around your middle as he pulls back from you, “Well, how ‘bout I give you something to laugh about.”  
Bucky attacks your sides with his fingertips and you start laughing harder. You squirm under his touch, trying to get away from his tickle onslaught.  
“No more…” you plead, “Please, Buck.”  
He stops and you exhale a sigh of relief as you lie on your back.  
“Had enough?” Bucky asks leaning over you.  
You look up at him as you catch your breath and realize he’s hovering above you on the bed. He’s propping himself up on his arms, so that his weight isn’t on you, but it’s still a very intimate position.   
You reach your right hand up towards his face, “Bucky,” you whisper.  
“Yeah?” he asks quietly, his eyes flicking down to your lips.  
You lean up towards him and his eyes are half-lidded as you work your leg between his and in one fluid motion, you flip him onto his back. There’s a look of surprise on his face as you pin him to your mattress and then a huge smile spreads across his features.   
You smile at him and place your palms on his chest.  
“Well look at that, you actually managed to pin me for once,” Bucky says.  
“Hey, I’ve pinned you before now,” you say defensively.  
Bucky chuckles softly.  
You feel his hands move to your exposed thighs and he gently massages them while keeping his gaze fixed on you, and you lean down towards him.  
Why shouldn’t you kiss him?  
What are you so afraid of?  
You like him and he likes you, that should be more than enough for one little kiss.  
Bucky lifts his head to meet you and there’s a loud knock on your bedroom door.  
You slump forward onto Bucky’s chest instead, “WHAT?!”  
“WAKE UP! It’s time for training!” Natasha yells.  
Shit, you forgot you’re sparring with Natasha today.  
“Ten more minutes,” you mumble from Bucky’s bare chest.  
“Oh no, you told me yesterday that under no circumstances am I to let you skip today!” Natasha continues.  
You did say that.  
But that was before Bucky came home.  
Bucky huffs quietly and you lift your head and cover his mouth with your hand.  
“FINE! I’ll be down soon!” you shout angrily at your door.  
There’s silence from the other side of it and you glare at it and assume that she’s walked away at this point.  
You turn back to Bucky and uncover his mouth, “I’m sorry, I’ve gotta go train,” you groan.  
“It’s fine, Doll, I’ll see you later for lunch,” Bucky says.  
You smile at him, “Yeah.”  
You lean forward and rest your cheek against his chest as his arms wrap around you, and you press your lips to his chest and then start to sit up again.   
You know you don’t have long before Natasha comes back.  
“Alright, I gotta get dressed,” you say climbing off of Bucky and then the bed.   
He gets up and puts his pants back on and then hugs you and presses a kiss to the top of your head.  
“I really missed you, Babydoll,” Bucky whispers.  
“I missed you too, Baby,” you say before you can stop yourself.  
As Bucky pulls back he smiles wide at you…and then leans down and presses a kiss to your cheek, “We’ll have to do this again sometime huh?”  
“Yeah,” you agree, “Wait! I almost forgot, I have something for you.”  
“Doll, if it’s my shirt you can keep it a little while longer,” Bucky begins.  
You rush to the drawer where you keep all your knitting and pull out the socks you made for Bucky, “It’s not that it’s…well…” you trail off as you walk back over to him and present him the socks.  
He takes the dark grey socks with gold threaded throughout and stares down at them confused.  
“It’s a thank you gift for teaching me how to knit,” you explain nervously.  
A smile tugs at Bucky’s lips as he stares down at them and then back up at you.   
Then he moves back to the edge of your bed and sits down. You bite your bottom lip nervously as he starts to put them on, because you’re not entirely certain they’ll fit.   
He tugs the second sock onto his left foot and wiggles his toes.  
They are a little loose around his calves but otherwise not a bad fit.  
He stands and shifts his weight as he curls his toes, “I love ‘em they’re perfect, Doll.”  
“Really?” you ask smiling.  
“Really, they’re cozy,” Bucky says and then holds out his metal arm, “And they match my arm.”  
“I’m glad you like them,” you say relieved.  
“You know in a few days I’m gonna have a present for you too,” Bucky says.  
“What? Really?” you ask.  
“Yep, you and the whole team,” Bucky says.  
Oh.  
That makes more sense, why would he do a random romantic gesture, when you’re not even dating?  
“Can’t wait to see what it is,” you say.  
He gives you a wink and then leaves your room.  
You close the door behind him and press yourself to it and sigh.  
You really do have it bad for him, don’t you?  
You then get dressed for training and for once you actually manage to beat Natasha in nearly every round, where usually she’s the one kicking your ass.

A week later on movie night, Bucky announces that he has a surprise for everyone, so you all meet in the common room early. He has a stack of papers on an easel that look like they’re from his sketchbook with him. Bucky presents each picture before handing them out and they’re portraits of each Avenger done in beautiful pastels and rendered with incredible detail. The super soldier hands you yours last, a little sheepishly you might add, and it’s so amazing and thoughtful it brings a few tears to your eyes. After everyone is done oohing and aahing over their pictures and disperses with their portraits to make preparations for movie night, you seek Bucky out right before and find him alone in his room.  
He’s setting the easel back in it’s usual spot, when he looks over at you, “Hey, Doll.”  
You step through his open bedroom door, “I gotta say you’re a fast learner.”  
Bucky smiles and rubs the back of his neck with his right hand, “Aw shucks, honestly I can’t take all the credit I had a great teacher,” he says gesturing to you.  
You smile and dip your head, your cheeks growing warm.  
“I actually found out that I can draw pretty well with my left hand, my right hand is a little slow, but I’m working on bringing it up to speed and then maybe I’ll be able to draw with both simultaneously,” Bucky says holding both of his hands up and then his eyes wander over to your hands behind your back, “Whatcha got there? You got something to show me?”  
You nod pulling out your own sketchbook, “Yeah, I thought I’d show you what I needed those pictures of your arm for.”  
Bucky raises his brows.  
You open your sketchbook and move closer to him, flipping through the pages of your finished sketches. You show him all the pictures you’ve drawn of him, now with his metal arm as beautifully drawn as the rest of him.  
“Is this what you were doing all those times I was in the gym huh?” Bucky asks staring at the pictures of him boxing, “Busy checking me out?” he teases.  
“Yeah actually, you’re a very attractive man, Buck, I check you out a lot,” you admit.  
Bucky looks at you in surprise and then his face quickly turns smug as he tongues his cheek. He hands you your sketchbook back, “Hang on a sec, I got something else to show you.”  
He searches through his pile of art supplies and then pulls out a smaller travel sketchbook and flips through it and shows you all the pictures he’s drawn of you over the course of the month he was gone.  
“So I guess when you said you found your muse…” you begin.  
“It was you, it was always you, Doll,” Bucky says softly.  
You both smile at one another for a moment, wondering who will break the tension first, and then there’s conversation from your teammates drifting out of the hallway from Bucky’s open door. Everyone’s abuzz with excitement about movie night and the sound of laughter gets closer.   
“I’ll um…save you a seat,” you say backing away.  
“As long as it’s next to you, Doll,” Bucky says with a soft smile.  
“Where else would you rather be?” you ask him.  
Bucky grins, “No where, Doll.”  
You smile back at him and with that you leave the room.


End file.
